Experts Available to Comment on Expansions to Child Tax Credit

Summary: Presidential candidates Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris have talked about some form of the child tax credit. The following Duke University scholars are available to discuss the expanded child tax credit and its impacts. Both professors recently wrote an op-ed on the tax in The Hill.

Anna Gassman-Pines

Quotes:

“The expanded 2021 Child Tax Credit (CTC) reduced poverty and food insecurity, making a huge difference in its policy goal of providing financial relief to families with children. It did so without risking loss of earnings as an important source of family income,” says Anna Gassman-Pines, professor of public policy, psychology and neuroscience, and faculty affiliate of the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University.

“However, the effects of the expanded 2021 CTC on general psychological well-being, such as happiness or stress for families with children and low income, are mixed. This is not surprising when considering how hard it is to balance parenting and the demands of work and personal life; to give enough breathing room to parents, more than a modest amount of income is required.”

Bio:

Anna Gassman-Pines is professor of public policy, psychology and neuroscience, and faculty affiliate of the Center for Child and Family Policy. She studies low-wage work, family life and the effects of welfare and employment policy on child and maternal well-being, and the effects of job loss on child and family well-being.

For additional comment, contact Anna Gassman-Pines at:
agassman.pines@duke.edu

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Lisa Gennetian

“One novel aspect of the 2021 CTC expansion, in addition to the size of the tax credit, was monthly advanced receipt,” says Lisa Gennetian, an applied economist and professor of public policy at Duke University who studies childhood poverty and how it affects family well-being and children’s development.

“The monthly advanced payment offered a sense of immediate financial stability for families, many of whom have been bearing the burden of increased instability in income, including earned income.”

“But the other notable aspect of the 2021 expanded CTC was its temporary nature, and this left families with increased future financial uncertainty. Moving forward one consideration for policy is to think about ways to combine financial relief with reduced costs of financial uncertainty for families.”

Bio:

Lisa Gennetian is an applied economist who studies childhood poverty and how it affects family well-being and children’s development. She is a professor of early learning policy studies in Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and a faculty affiliate in the Center for Child and Family Policy.

For additional comment, contact Lisa Gennetian at:
lisa.gennetian@duke.edu

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Media Contact:
Steve Hartsoe
steve.hartsoe@duke.edu